The 5 Best New IPs In Gaming This Year (So Far)

Sequels, spinoffs, remakes, HD remastered rereleases… The video game industry can definitely seem repetitive. Like the film industry, production and marketing costs have skyrocketed at a rate consistent with advances in computer graphics, so it’s no wonder developers are hesitant to break away from their tried and true franchises. But 2016 has been an unusually strong year for developers willing to try new things, or at the very least give us a modern take on something old and forgotten. The year’s only half over and we’ve already seen some great new IP’s worth applauding. So, with all of that in mind, we thought it was time to take a moment to celebrate the best new titles of 2016 (so far). 1) Firewatch Perhaps the most deceptive descriptor in video games is the word ‘mature,’ but Firewatch is exactly that. This game’s content is neither graphically violent nor sexual, but the way it delves into its themes of loneliness, love and loss is unequivocally adult. Set in the forests of Wyoming in 1989, Firewatch casts players as Henry, a man who has fled from his complicated life and taken up the job of a fire lookout. His only companion throughout his story is his supervisor, Delilah, who communicates with him entirely through a walkie-talkie. While there is a mystery at the heart of Firewatch, it’s the back and forth between these two expertly acted lead characters that’s the driving force behind the game. At various points in the story, dialogue options are displayed on screen, giving players an opportunity to play Henry in the way they prefer. There are so many things that can be interacted with, which will queue Delilah to provide the player with supplemental information that’s both interesting and entertaining. As the story progresses and the two become more comfortable with each other, it’s their relationship that keeps things engaging right up until the climax. The game is not without its flaws, however. It’s undoubtedly pretty, but the world is surprisingly empty of wildlife. Whether you believe that serves the story better by enhancing the feelings of isolation is a matter of interpretation, but you would be justified in saying it broke some of the immersion for you. Ultimately, the climax is a bit disappointing, and at around 5-6 hours of gameplay, it’s an all too brief experience. But if you’re the kind of gamer who prefers a well written, story driven game, there are few titles out there with as much to offer as Firewatch. Quantum Break Quantum Break is a prime example of a game that takes chances and experiments with the medium. In a throwback to the full motion video sequences of the mid 90s, Quantum Break uses high quality live action cutscenes, or episodes, to tell an intriguing sci-fi story. Players take control of Jack Joyce (played by Shawn Ashmore), a young man gifted with the ability to manipulate time, as he tries to repair his fractured timeline. Opposing him is another power imbued character, the villain Paul Serene, played by Aidan Gillen of Game of Thrones. Choosing to use experienced actors enhances the narrative quality greatly; gone is the hilariously bad writing and dialogue typical of the early games that utilized FMV. Graphically, Quantum Break is quite impressive, and the facial motion capture technology on display believably transfers the actors into the game world, so transitions between episodes and gameplay are less jarring than they could have been. The destructive environments and superpowers on display make Quantum Break’s combat beautiful to watch. Sure, the shooting mechanics are stilted and clumsy, but the time bending superpowers keep the firefights interesting. Whether you’re using them to zip around cover, shield yourself from bullets or stopping your enemies in their tracks entirely, Jack’s time powers offer plenty of fun tactical options in heat of battle. A fun and interesting experience despite some of its missteps, Quantum Break is a welcome addition to the 2016 lineup. Tom Clancy’s The Division Ubisoft’s ambitious third-person shooter The Division is an online only, open world military game set in Manhattan following a biological terrorist attack. Players create their own avatar, a member of the titular Division, team up with their friends and try to bring order back to the rapidly deteriorating city. In The Division, ‘bringing order’ roughly translates to ‘gunning down looters,’ as the people impacted the most by the attack have organized into various enemy factions. These factions function as different enemy types and often require specialized tactics to bring them down, which can make your enemies seem like comic book henchman rather than actual people. The Cleaners in particular, sanitation workers who believe they need to burn the virus away, seem to have borrowed the most from the Gotham City book of criminality, and adopted flamethrowers and thematically appropriate attire. It’s a little silly if you analyze it too deeply, but considering how well the shooting mechanics feel it’s easy to forgive the narrative quirks. While you can play solo, The Division really shines when played with friends. There’s a definite sense of satisfaction when you and your squad kill a particularly difficult boss, find a powerful new weapon or repel an invading enemy force. Even walking around the well realized world and taking in the sights and sounds of a city in turmoil can be thoroughly immersive. Without a doubt, The Division is an experience worth having, and one worth sharing with your closest squad mates. The Witness Thekla Inc. announced The Witness on the heels of their first major hit Braid all the way back in 2009, but the game wouldn’t be released until January of this year. That’s right - Thekla Inc. spent nearly seven years developing The Witness into a game as close to perfection as they possibly could, and it shows. A hauntingly beautiful puzzle title, The Witness puts players in the heart of an abandoned island that’s absolutely saturated with mystery, tasking them to uncover the many secrets hidden in its strange world. At times it may feel like a spiritual successor to the classic point and click adventure Myst, but at their core, the puzzles in The Witness are much less varied but no less complex. Scattered across each of the island’s 11 sections are a series of increasingly difficult line and maze puzzles. Often, these mazes have multiple entrances and exits, requiring players to explore and examine their surroundings for different context clues that might shed some light on the task at hand. It’s during these moments that the care and effort of Thekla Inc. is on full display. They’ve mastered nonverbal communication, and with it are able to guide and educate the player without so much as a single line of dialogue. Few things are as rewarding as coming back to a puzzle you neglected hours ago, armed with a sudden epiphany that will open a path previously locked off from you. With its astounding environment, captivating puzzles, and whopping 80 hours of gameplay, The Witness provides a world that you will feel comfortable getting hopelessly lost in. Overwatch It’s colorful, it’s stylish, it’s addictive: it’s Overwatch. Pieced together from the remains of Blizzard’s abandoned MMO Titan, the competitive squad-based shooter Overwatch is a welcome change of pace from the usual slew of modern military shooters we’ve grown accustomed to. Borrowing from Team Fortress 2, Overwatch is a squad-based shooter that emphasizes cooperation above all other tactics. Each of the game's twenty-one characters have a unique play style that compliments the others. Finding the right combination of character types for every situation is a necessary component of a team's success, and being able to switch between characters on the fly to counter the opposing team's squad adds an additional level of strategy that combines for a fast, frenetic game that never seems to get old. You’ll always be willing to play ‘just one more match.’ Unlike most games with such an array of characters, it’s difficult to pick a favorite, or even a favorite class, for that matter. Experimentation is not only recommended, but due to the need for balance in your squad, it’s necessary. But even if it wasn’t, each one is so well made you’d find yourself switching often, trying out each one to find out their strengths and weakness anyway. In Overwatch, Blizzard’s created a game with more charm and personality than a dozen other shooters put together. The futuristic take on real world locales and the detail in the character’s design make for an instantly unforgettable experience. Combined with its fantastic gameplay, Overwatch is easily one of the best new titles of the year so far, and a strong contender for Game of the Year. Go out and buy it and you’ll see what we mean.