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

Muss wrote:

That said, I doubt Sony's VR is going to be cheap considering how expensive the Rift is, but I'd be amazed if it wasn't significantly cheaper than any alternative which isn't Google Cardboard.

Then there's the fact Sony love their super expensive peripherals/add-ons/extras.

Yet they've not had any that I can think of that were expensive, pointless yes but expensive nah.

One thing that instantly comes to mind is their ridiculous prices for vita memory cards but yeah I guess the bigger issue is will they support it properly? If you go off past products of theirs then the outlook isn't good in my book.

I thought you meant things like Eyetoy and Move which you could compare the PSVR more to.

I think they will support, and there messaging has been great so far as well. They learned a lot from the disaster that was the PS3 early life and MS cock ups as well that they'll keep it plain and simple.

They've said they want to sell 2 million PSVRs in year one that's to a audience of 37m PS4 owners and growing that they know it's not going to be massive success compared to the PS4 but with 100+ games in development they know it could be the start of something great.

Really they need one of the others to do well that studios make VR games bring games to all of them as a studio less likely to make a VR game if just a 2m install base of VR.

Also Nintendo are looking at VR as well as Apple that VR is coming just when will it be a thing and who can get it right.

I do still really like the idea of VR, but other than the price I think the biggest issue is the quality of VR support rather than the quantity of games.

Of course it needs a fundamental amount of first and third party support, but given the propensity VR has for causing motion sickness it really isn't a platform you want a load of hamfisted VR implementation, for the sake of VR implementation.

The only reason I bring that up is that the Rift is getting a metric ton of support on Steam, but many of those games are shovelware from asset flippers just slapping on Rift support because it's not hard to make a game Rift compatible - in terms of the game itself literally supporting the Rift (It's just hard to make games support the rift and not feel blarghhhh). That said, I bet Sony will implement some form of quality control for their system. The last thing they want is a load of ill teenagers and an angry money and daddy.

@mas - I'm not saying I dislike VR as I haven't been able to try it yet, I just don't think it will be the next big thing like you clearly do that's all & I also trust Sony even less to be the ones to deliver it.

Like you said you've not tried it but anyone that has seems to like such as Drunka and Muss, not just me.

But you pointed out the issue with VR and that's trying it, that Sony for instance need to do demonstrations in GAME for instance.

Of the three people I know who've tried VR (the other two being Mas and Muss), I'm the one without glasses so I got on with it quite well.

It is nice, and it does work, but what I'm not convinced it matters.

VR will be absolutely revolutionary, I have no doubts. What remains to be seen is whether it will be revolutionary in games and on the current generation.

VR vs AR is also super interesting as to what has more wide-reaching use. I think AR might actually come out the winner, but HoloLens should give us more of an idea.

Here we go then starting with...

Nintendo
8. Core Pokemon game to come out for the 20th anniversary BINGO

Microsoft
4. Forza Horizon 3 Been pretty much confirmed to be at E3

The Rest
4. HTC Vive to be cheaper then Oculus Rift Wrong

Whist doing that I've ballsed up my predictions some how for 2016 as it put this post there, that I'm going to have remember going forward if I predicted it or not.

For everyone else, some thoughts on coming to the end of Q1.

Seems Balla has one down already as well with Pokemon Z but Sun & Moon are coming to 3DS, also pretty sure playing Bravely Default again would be the same Balla

@Buska on his Twilight Princess esque cross-release unnecessary wasn't it unnecessary with TP as the Wii played GameCube games just fine as it's the same game but mirrored and silly controls that a NX Zelda might be the same but just mirrored and the hook(shot) is that you can take it on the go which you can't with Wii U version.

Looking at Athruns some are all ready right as Genei Ibun Roku ♯FE did flop in Japan and if it was going to do the numbers it was going to do it there, FE: Fates has sold well and reviewed well but people have treated not like Pokemon as they've reviewed version and each one has scored different based on difficulty & story. Has anyone seen any Nintendo adverts?

On DeadLemon's didn't the director of Metroid Prime say they've not even started on one and would take years that it would miss the Wii U but would be a NX game like you say but no way it's coming at launch also retro on working something rumored to be Diddy Kong racing 2 not Metroid if the director is telling the truth. Your FFVII one maybe right, if rumors are true but not in 2016 as the rumor is it's coming when it's all done on PS4 which could be ages. Also on PSN it's strange as that's the one in the news the most yet Xbox Live has been down more this year already, yet no one bats a eyelid.

On gJones 3DS will have a steady year with games aimed at the hardcore contingent, seems to be right just from the first few months of the year and announcements of thing like S&M. Club Nintendo has been announced as part of My Nintendo on how it work which sort has achievements to cover ZeroJones who's right on the RPG bit but not Pokemon Z.

Jay nailed it with Assassins Creed.

On VR the VIVE has sold 15,000 units at $800 that's $12,000,000 already, I don't know how much that is profit but dam that's a lot. On VR vs AR only MS seem to be taking it serous but the Young Conker Tech Demo looks naff also the HoloLens are $3000 each at the moment.

So far this

Athrun888 wrote:

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

has been on the money and this

Athrun888 wrote:

-Persona Feat. Fire Emblem Cosplay to flop commercially.

has been the case in Japan last I heard.

I think I can probably give this a go now, not much will change between now and the end of 2016.

Balladeer wrote:

1. Zelda U makes grown men cry.  (Measured objectively by a 94+ Metacritic score.  Gotta happen this year, right?)  Nope!
   
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.)  69.  Massively over-optimistic.
   
3. Bravely Default Second: End Layer is more of the same, with a worse soundtrack and with a much better second half.  Bang on.
   
4. Pokémon Z finally gets tossing announced.  It's a 3DS game, not an NX or whatever one.  It should have been... but we got Sun/Moon instead.  More than an acceptable trade!
   
5. Nothing on Metroid or F-Zero, proles.  Correct, sob.
   
6. Pokémon Go is roundly criticised for drowning in microtransactions.  Go! does have microtransactions, but has escaped much criticism for them.
   
7. Nintendo release Mario on mobiles, in some form or another.  Hah, yes!
   
8. The NX to be the much-rumoured hybrid. Another hit.  Less pessimistic about this than I was...
   
9. NX announced with a 2D Mario.  Cue much wailing and screaming and clawing at faces.  3D Mario, and it looks grand!
   
10. E3 will still be better than 2015's, but not as good as 2014's.  A safe bet, but correct.  BotW outstripped 2015's E3 on its own, never mind Ever Oasis and the rest.

Everyone else:

Spoiler:

Apparently I do care slightly about the multiplats now, but not enough to make more than a throwaway prediction about them. I mean I got a PS3...  Then barely played it.

Another 5/10.  Like last year, I'll take this as a win!

gjones wrote:

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? I guess Super Mario Maker counts but not really what I had in mind.

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. Accurate on the first two but I still feel the new Zelda world could be empty.

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. Close but no cigar

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. Nope

Virtual Console to be gradually added to the app stores for phones. Ties in with the Club Nintendo account. There's been mention of Gamecube on the Switch effectively bringing all Nintendo games to the Virtual Console, but no, way off here.

The NX to launch at Christmas with the new Zelda, Pikmin 4, a new IP and a party game – Wii Sports X or something. Not quite, and I still feel the Switch may have been aiming for Christmas and was pushed back. Pikmin 4 looks likely though.

By and large, I was way off.

I don't think I toook mine seriously, so I've taken out the #bantz for the most part

Jimbob wrote:

Zelda U to be pretty good; reviewed initially as slightly disappointing compared with recent open world games, but in retrospect will be praised for the quality over quantity (that's right, I'm doing 2019 predictions too) NINTENDO!!!
Twiglet Pancakes HD to also be really good, given the way the other Zelda remakes have been handled. The amiibo wolf link feels really tacked on though. Yes.
Starfox 0 to be a bit disappointing - despite the extra time, and the cool #bantz between the crew, the controls will still have one piece of mandatory jarring motion control.*sigh* yes
NX to be revealed at E3, resulting in this reaction. Actually no! The only questions people had were on specifics. Well done Nintendo.
All those Japanese games that are coming over. They'll be pretty good - but I can't tell them apart so *shrug* I dunno, the JRPG fans seemed to be moaning most of the time...

Sony Still winning sales-wise Just about - the Pro still seems to be nonsense to me, but...
Uncharted 4's exactly what you'd expect. That's not an insult, just a first-world privelege reaction of "... yeah" Actually I think it was a bit smarter than people thought
You will see NOTHING of Final Fantasy VII or Shenmue 3
The Last Guardian does come out, but unfortunately its long development cycle results in this reaction. Happily wrong
Dreams to flop mega-big-time; everyone remembers that Little Big Planet level creation was a chore, and having to worry about this in 3D isn't worth it. No-one knows or acres
No Man's Sky to be eventually disappointing. If the programmers don't know what most of the planets will turn out like, the answer is: very similarly to the other planets. CHECK - the planets vary topologically but all have the same components in order to make the "game" work

Crackdown 3 will be great. WOAH WHAT A HOT TAKE Dunno yet - get a move on you plebs
Fable Legends, despite in all fairness being a side-story, will be a disappointment and grind the franchise into dust in most people's minds. If only!  

Virtual Reality headsets to be BOOM in 2016 - bust in 2017 when everyone realises games are a chore after 5 minutes. And you can't see/hear your mum come in if you're watching VR rudeness. Hmmm... I still think I'll be right next year.
Yooka-Laylee to come out to universal nostalgic weepy-eyed critical acclaim! Please?! Please?!
Dark Souls 3 is good, but we all agree it's time to stop - there's a little drying of the well of creativity. This might be true.
Awesome Ostrich: Uxbridge Jug to have a demo of the first level before the designer gets bored I haven't even got that far, and the ostrich is now a wacky sidekick

JimJimBobJim wrote:

Virtual Reality headsets to be BOOM in 2016 - bust in 2017 when everyone realises games are a chore after 5 minutes. And you can't see/hear your mum come in if you're watching VR rudeness. Hmmm... I still think I'll be right next year.

I think you are correct right now, I see absolutely zero people talk about VR or it's games.

@Jimbob how is the Sony only Just about winning sales-wise when they're 20m in front of Xbox One and just had their best Black Friday ever in the history of PlayStation

Crackdown, I'm hearing will be a Scorpio launch title and could be very different on if you play it on a Xbox One or Scorpio as the extra POWER! of the Scorpio will do what they promised via the cloud.

Hey I'm people to guys

masofdas wrote:

@Jimbob how is the Sony only Just about winning sales-wise when they're 20m in front of Xbox One and just had their best Black Friday ever in the history of PlayStation

No, what I meant was, this time last year, The XBox One was struggling a bit, whereas the PS4 was way in front. The PS4 is still selling loads, but the XBone has a least picked up a bit. I meant I was just-about right, not they were just-about winning.

It's Zero Hour!

ZeroJones wrote:

1) Miitomo receives lukewarm applause, is not substantial Not sure it even got lukewarm applause but it was definitely not substantial
2) Share prices spike when next mobile game is revealed An easy one
3) My Nintendo - or whatever the Club Nintendo replacement ends up being called - to overreach a bit, include something like Achievements If anything it's underreached... and no Achievements
4) Star Fox 0 to sell pretty well on nostalgia alone, not live up to hype One no, one yes
5) Zelda U Nintendo's winter game of choice, be excellent One massive no
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 ) Second guessing myself worked!
7) Wii U to get a Mario sports game (besides the Olympics one) Nope... but the 3DS has the sports compilation game announced... maybe, like, a third of a point?
Captain Toad game on 3DS Nope. Maybe it was just me wanting to see more of him in the future

Hmm. For a début, that was pretty poor. I'll see what 2017 turns up.

And it's time for my predictions to be laughed at!

Jay of yesteryear wrote:

Ninty

Star Fox Zero will be a solid game - high 80s on Metacritic. Wrong! I think people still reckon it's a solid game - this probably reflect more on me thinking that a game needs scores in the high 80s to be considered "solid".

Zelda U will be delayed to launch alongside an NX version. Check! Although we've still had no concrete release date, so the Wii U and NX releases may still be different.

The NX will be a hybrid. Check! Although hardly an outlandish prediction...

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. Another safe prediction, considering Pokémon Go likely fed into Sun & Moon's success and we've had Mario pop up on mobile since then too.

Sony

The PS4 will still be dominant by years end. Not quite dominant, but still in the lead. Half a mark.

The Last Guardian will underperform, but it'll still be good - low 80s score. Pretty much spot-on, here.

Horizon: Zero Dawn will blow everyone away - 90+ score. I'll reuse this one for 2017, shall I?

No Man's Sky will disappoint. Correct-a-mundo!

Microsoft

The Xbox will close the gap with PS4 on sales due to a mid-year price cut. Not sure if it was a price-cut that did it, and I don't follow sales enough to know this off the top of my head. Certainly feels like they're gaining ground, though.

Cuphead will be this year's indie darling. Didn't even come out!

You've done pretty well Jay, not laughable at all.

You're not wrong, but I did make fairly safe predictions there all told. I'm going to go fucking mental for our 2017 predictions thread.

2017 will deserve some wacky predictions - new Nintendo console that's way different to anything we've seen before?! Yes, please! We might even get a new Metroid game... nah, that's too out there.