The SYSTEM WARS Most Anticipated Game of 2016 Is...

I asked. You answered. With almost 150 votes, System, Wars exhibited its enthusiasm for the remarkable lineup of games that we are set to get in 2016 in top form.

2016 promises to be a great year for video games- every platform is getting something worth playing, and there's going to be no shortage of high quality, must play titles. The first three months of the year alone promise to be more exciting than the holiday lineup was for 2015- and the holiday lineup for 2015 was nothing to sneeze at, either.

With so many great games coming up, you would think that System Wars' votes for which games to look forward to would be fractured and spread across multiple games, too. You would be right- there were a lot of games that got votes, and the votes were spread out far more evenly than ever before, making it hard for a convincing Tp 10 to emerge right until the last moment- and even then, we had a surprise. But in spite of all of that, there were some games that System Wars as a whole conspired to anticipate more than others- and these were the ones.

I'm going to get to the winner soon, but first, we're going to look at the runners up, from #10-#2. Here we go:

10. XCOM 2 (PC)

In 2012, Firaxis rebooted the flagging classic PC strategy franchise, XCOM, with great results. Now, they are back with a sequel that promises to be bigger and better. Foregoing the consoles, and the various concessions to game design that must be made because of them, XCOM 2 is a PC exclusive sequel that promises to imbibe the hardcore turn based strategy action that made the original games so beloved to begin with, and give us one of the best games of the year across any platform in the process.

10. QUANTUM BREAK (XBOX ONE)

That's right, right at the beginning of this list we come into a tie- System Wars really couldn't make up its mind about which of these two games it was looking forward to more, and we ended up with both, XCOM 2 and Quantum Break, tying for 10th place on the list.

Quantum Break is Remedy's third person shooter game for the Xbox One, which truly looks next generation in every sense of the word- from its unreal graphics that appear almost photosensitive, to its gameplay, which seems to be an evolution of the third person formula by riffing off of Remedy's Bullet Time mechanic, to its great story, Quantum Break looks like it will be one of the most exciting games across any platform next year.

9. FIRE EMBLEM FATES (NINTENDO 3DS)

When a handheld game manages to make this list, you know it's something special. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems' sequel to their 2013 reboot of the Fire Emblem franchise promises to build on the incredible foundation that Fire Emblem: Awakening provided, while also bringing back the strategic and tactical depth and nuance that the games used to be known for in the first place. Fire Emblem: Fates promises to be one of the most hardcore and engaging strategy game experiences of next year- and it will do so while providing a deep and involving story for RPG fans as well.

8. HORIZON: ZERO DAWN (PS4)

Guerrilla Games' first non-Killzone game in a decade looks to be extremely fresh and dramatically exciting. It's an open world action RPG, set in a prehistoric world populated by mechanical dinosaurs. The premise promises to provide for some intriguing questions, while everything we have seen of the game itself at this point makes it look like an ambitious role playing game like nothing else on the market. Add to all this Guerrilla's signature grasp over the technical aspects of a game, and you have what looks to be a sure shot winner.

7. FINAL FANTASY XV (PS4, XBOX ONE)

The first multiplatform title on this list is Final Fantasy XV, which also makes its second straight appearance on this list. Final Fantasy XV has gained a spot since last year (it was ranked #8 for the 2015 list), and it's clear to understand why- as the game nears completion, it's a known quantity. We've seen a lot of the game, we've even played some of it, and we know what to expect. Square Enix's newest epic has been a decade in the making, and it looks like it will have been worth it- Final Fantasy XV looks like it will be a return to form for the franchise, promising the kind of defining role playing action the series became known for in the first place.

6. DARK SOULS III (PS4, XBOX ONE, PC)

Will people ever get tired of the Souls formula? If they will, it's certainly not happening right now. The third entry in the famed series sees series creator Miyazaki return to take the helm. Dark Souls III looks incredible- it looks like a marriage of the intricacy of Dark Souls with the speed of Bloodborne, and the result seems to be what might end up being the best Souls game yet. After the generally disappointing Dark Souls II, Dark Souls III seems to be a return to form for the franchise.

5. DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED (PS4, XBOX ONE, PC)

Forget for a moment the controversy surrounding this game's pre-ordering campaign. Forget the massive last minute delay. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided still managed to land itself on the #5 spot on the most anticipated list very convincingly. And why shouldn't it? 2012's Deus Ex: Human Revolution rebooted the classic franchise in style, and Mankind Divided looks like it will build up on that game in every possible way. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided looks to be an engaging, stylish, and exciting proposition- no wonder people are looking forward to it.

4. PERSONA 5 (PS4, PS3)

Another title that returns to this list for the second year running, Persona 5's incredible showing over the last year lands it on the #4 spot in this year's list. Atlus' magnum opus looks to be an incredible game, one that takes everything that was great about Persona 3 and 4 and push it to the next level, while also fixing the numerous faults that those games had. As with Persona 3 and 4, fans can expect an impeccable sense of style, addictive gameplay, an incredible story, real characters marked by immaculate characterization, and a hell of a soundtrack. Persona 5 will end up being one of the best, most memorable experiences of 2016- provided it actually manages to launch this year.

3. MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA (PS4, XBOX ONE, PC)

The sheer goodwill that the Mass Effect franchise has garnered over the course of its three installments can be attested to by the fact that the fourth entry in the series, about which we literally know absolutely nothing, lands on the #3 spot on this list, very narrowly missing the top spot. Nothing is known about Andromeda- we know it's the fourth entry in the series, taking place thousands of years after the original trilogy, and following mankind's expansion into the Andromeda galaxy, but that's about it. What will be the threat our heroes have to overcome this time? Will Bioware go for the narrative focused style that has defined the series so far, or will they try for something more open? No matter what they do, Mass Effect: Andromeda promises to be one of the most exciting games of 2016.

2. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (WII U)

For the second year running, The Legend of Zelda returns to the System Wars Most Anticipated Games list, only missing out on the top spot by the narrowest of margins.

It is a mark of just how much goodwill the Legend of Zelda series has when it manages to command such a lead even in a year with as many great games coming out as 2016, in spite of the fact that not much is known about it. But of course, with this new Zelda game, Nintendo is promising us the world (quite literally), and this time, we have every reason to believe they will deliver it to us. The showings of the game so far have shown us a gorgeous, lush open world that promises to break free from the shackles of the Zelda formula, while Nintendo themselves have shown a willingness to change what Zelda is like with A Link Between Worlds, the game that they have stated is the spiritual predecessor to the Wii U installment. Add to it the promise of Nintendo's first truly open world title in decades, one which may benefit from Nintendo's excellent design prowess, as well as beautiful graphics and an amazing soundtrack, and it's not hard to see why The Legend of Zelda is as eagerly anticipated by everyone as it is. Will the game actually launch on the Wii U? Is it delayed to being an NX launch title? Exactly what will it even be like? Questions like these take a secondary back seat, when hype for a new Zelda title kicks into gear.

Okay guys, those were the runners up, #10 to #2, okay? Just a quick recap here, to ensure there is no confusion later:

10. XCOM 2
10. Quantum Break
09. Fire Emblem Fates
08. Horizon: Zero Dawn
07. Final Fantasy XV
06. Dark Souls III
05. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
04. Persona 5
03. Mass Effect Andromeda
02. The Legend of Zelda

And now for the winner. Are you ready?

The System Wars Most Anticipated Game of 2016 is...

1. UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF'S END (PS4)

if you thought all the delays would kill Uncharted's hype, you were wrong. In a year that is full of absolutely amazing games, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End convincingly manages to emerge as the one game that everybody is looking forward to, the most, regardless of their fanboy allegiances. Returning to the most anticipated list for the second year running, Uncharted 4 gains five spots to land on the #1 spot- and it makes sense, too. Everything we have seen of Drake's final adventure in the last year or so has driven home just how ambitious this game is looking to be, taking everything that was good about Uncharted, and kicking it into the next gear.

The most ambitious single player story ever also seems to be supplemented by what may be the definitive Uncharted multiplayer experience, returning to the fun, chaotic flavor that defined the series, while also maintaining a healthy game balance. Throw in great graphics into the mix, as well as Naughty Dog's impeccable track record, and is it really hard to see why people are looking forward to the game so much? The newest entry in Naughty Dog's flagship franchise promises more of the Uncharted formula that we have all come to know and love, except bigger and better this time, with all the improvements that being on the most powerful console of the generation can provide- that alone is reason enough to fall in love with the game, and to do so before it is even out.

Incidentally, this is what the final scoreboard looked like for the Top 10:

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: 1280 points
2. The Legend of Zelda: 1200 points
3. Mass Effect: Andromeda: 1160 points
4. Persona 5: 1000 points
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: 990 points
6. Dark Souls III: 960 points
7. Final Fantasy XV: 850 points
8. Horizon: Zero Dawn: 790 points
9. Fire Emblem Fates: 720 points
10. Quantum Break: 700 points
11. XCOM 2: 700 points

Some observations:

• Five of the games in the final 10 are Japanese
• Seven of the Top 10 games are playable on the PS4
• No game in the Top 10 is playable on the PS Vita
• The highest ranked Xbox One exclusive is at #10, Quantum Break, with 700 points; the highest ranked PC exclusive is at #10, XCOM 2, with 700 points. The highest ranked Nintendo 3DS exclusive is Fire Emblem Fates, at #9, with 720 points. The highest ranked Wii U exclusive is at #2, The Legend of Zelda with 1200 points. The highest ranked PS4 exclusive is Uncharted 4 at #1, with 1280 points
• RPGs seem to be System Wars' favorite genre, with seven games in the Top 10 being RPGs, eight, if we count Zelda
• Check out last year's most anticipated games here!

Thank you for voting everyone!

My god PS4 is scary in 2016.

Wow, Uncharted 4 tops the list! I think I missed the other thread, I didn't vote at all...

The consolitis is strong in here again...

...oh wait, 'Murican site here. Got it.

Id bet my mortgage Mass effect ends up being an early to mid 2017 game, Keeping in mind we've still never actually seen the game as of Jan 1 2016.

@charizard1605: did you just call Uncharted the most ambitious single player story ever? Um... Wait... Wha?

Glad I have a PS4 now.

I can finally anticipate Uncharted 4 like a normal human being

@TheEroica: Most ambitious within its series.

@charizard1605: Ahhh ok... For a moment I was like, wait a minute....

No surprises here. SW continues to have shit taste.

Uncharted 4? Seriously?

Persona 5 is still my most anticipated on that list, going to be a great 2016

I didn't vote, so I have no room to talk, but... fucking lulz man.

How much of the Top 10 are ya'all okay with? Placements, selections, etc

With the execption of no 10: THIS

And: have really all 1200 owners of a WiiU voted here??? Weird... :P

Including number 10. Xcom 2 should be way higher.

Yeah, agreed. :D

None.

XCOM 2 and Deus EX: HR should be much higher, the rest is a turd.

Ive been ready for Fire Emblem Fates ever since this dude Peer told me you could touch peoples faces on it. Your move now Zelda.

@Cloud_imperium: Yes, seriously.

Yeah, no. I can even entertain notions of placements on that list being different from my own preferences (because they are), but anyone who says titles like Zelda, Persona, Uncharted, Quantum Break, Mass Effect, and Dark Souls don't belong on a Top Anticipated Games list for this year isn't a person whose opinion I can take seriously on this matter, sorry.

Likewise I can't take anybody seriously who thinks that these games necessarily belong on such a list. ;)

But well, consolitis mainstreamitis always wins. That's why we can't have really good games.

Mirror's Edge 2 didn't even make top 11 :(... Other than that the list looks fine, but UC4 at number 1 is a bit much lol.

It's not about consoles or handhelds or PCs, it's about games, good games, regardless of what platform they are on. Just because a game has the gall to be made for something other than the PC does not automatically make it a bad or worthless game. I understood and supported you when you made your argument for why PC is the superior platform, because it is, that's indisputable. But you cross the line from fan to fanboy when you automatically think any game not made for your system (or not made for it first) is worthless. Good games are good games, regardless of whatever (inferior) system they are on.

If you can't see that, I don't know what to say to you.

For the record, Uncharted 4 wasn't even in my Top 5 in the voting thread; nor was Mass Effect.

Im anticipating UC4 to flop.

It'll get an 8, diminishing returns are strong with this franchise. But still, to claim it doesn't even belong on the list like some in this thread are doing is asinine, even if I do agree that it shouldn't be at #1

Dude, I never valued the quality of a game based on the platform it's on. And for the record, it's pretty funny that you talk about quality or good games when this is a thread about expectations and anticipations alone. Nobody of us has played these games yet so this isn't at all about actual quality...

But you know pretty well that the platforms a game is onto has A LOT to do whether a game ends on such a list or not because in the end it's nothing more than a popularity contest anyway. Somebody who only plays on PS4, XboxOne or PC or whatever will very likely only vote for games on that platform because nobody anticipates a game for a system that they don't own. So please, don't tell me that this is about quality.

Or why is Squadron 42 not on this list? Or Divinity Original Sin 2? I would say that they likely deserved a spot more than other games in the top 10, no matter their PC-only nature (of course based on my own evaluation of their potential quality). These games are simply not on the list because there are far more console fanboys or supporters or just gamers here. Or even fanboys/supporters of single game franchises. That's the simple reality. It's SO not about quality...

Oh, and don't take everything THAT seriously. We're still in the system wars forum... ;)

@charizard1605:

I mean, it's a community vote, I'm not gonna get up in arms about it. It's not like a single top 10 list is going to please most people anyways.

Placement is whatever, and it's not even like I think those games are going to be bad, it's just that there are better looking titles that didn't make the cut.

My only real point of contention though, is Uncharted 4 at #1. Not only do plenty of other games in this list seem more promising, but then the likes of Street Fighter V, Torment: Tides of Numenara, The Witness, Divinity 2, Cuphead, Scalebound, Nier 2, etc, etc.. didn't even make the cut? While Uncharted 4 is at #1?

Just seems lulzy. For all the the insanely stupid stuff that happens on SW, we usually churn out some surprisingly good community voted lists. I just see this one as a misfire.

Eh... It'll probably be good.

Because there were a lot of games getting votes, it was splintered and fractured - you can see the Top 10 yourself, positions are literally being determined by 10 points here. Squadron 42 got a fair bit of votes, but other games got more votes. Should it have been in the Top 10? Sure, I can see it making the Top 10, but it's a crapshoot, none of the top 10 games being in this list offend me, and they shouldn't.

Why do you anticipate something? You anticipate it either because of how it looks, or more often, because of track record. Are you going to come out and say that Nintendo or From Software or Atlus or Remedy's track record isn't good enough for their games to be in an anticipated Top 10?

And do you think this is just a popularity contest? Because how do you explain a Wii U game having won Game of the Year last year in this very contest? How do you explain a Wii U game almost winning the anticipated game contest this year, definitively winning it last year, and a handheld game figuring on there? Sure, popularity matters, and there are more console owners, so console games get more time in the sun- but sheer quality breaks through these popularity contest archetypes too. Or do you think Dark Souls is the game the average console player plays? Or Persona?

Finally, the PC is the single most dominant faction on this board, this has been proven and established multiple times. Spoiler alert- it is possible to like console games, or even console oriented games like Mass Effect, even as a PC owner, which is what happened in that other thread. That's it. Plain and simple. Being a PC owner doesn't mean that you shut yourself off of consoles entirely and refuse to play any of their games, because again, a good game is a good game, it doesn't matter what it is on. If you are going to tell me that Blue_Hazy_Basic, Wasdie, jg4xchamp, or ConanTheStoner aren't PC game players, then lol- the difference is, they game primarily on PC because it is in fact the best place to play a game, but they don't just play on the PC, if there's a game on the consoles that they like, they'll gladly try that too, instead of being just small minded and shutting themselves up in a narrow PC centric bubble.

And that's what you're not doing, preference for hardware is great, but in the end, this is about games. Just because a game is on PC doesn't automatically make it superior to console games, and just because a game is on consoles doesn't automatically make it worse than PC games.

I agree though, no point taking everything this seriously :p

I knew it was coming, but I still laughed when I seen UC4 at #1.

Completely agree with this, seems like the alt makers were out in force for this vote.

@charizard1605: I dont disagree but I am surprised to see it in the top 5 of any list that isnt PS4 only. The rest of the list seems reasonable and what I expected to see but UC4 seems really out of place in the top 5, especially at number one.

Well, I do agree that Uncharted shouldn't have been at #1. Top 10 I can see, hell, someone can convince me Top 5 with a good argument too. But #1? Ehhh.

Street Fighter underperforming took me by surprise, NieR actually did pretty well, as did Scalebound, which just narrowly missed out the Top 10. Cuphead, The Witness, and Torment I imagine are games that all suffer from the same thing- multiple delays and/or a lack of recent information, which sort of puts them out of mind for most users, enough that it is understandable why they may have forgotten to vote for them in the first place.

There were rules in place to prevent alt accounts- any account needed to be 90 days old/have a post count of 100 before its votes were counted. Any ineligible votes (and there were a fair few of those) were not tallied.

Stay salty.

Thats just how the voting works i think. If i remember correctly we voted for our top 3 most anticipated games, thats not much room for diversity. Now if we all voted our own top 10 and then the votes got counted, maybe we would see something different, but im not sure.

You voted for five games

@charizard1605: O yeah, it was 5, i couldnt remember how many we voted for.

@mesome713: Yeah, I increased the number, because the old format with three nominations led to a lack of diversity in lists, and didn't allow for proper point scaling. Five games, I think, is plenty for people to get a diverse ballot in.

@charizard1605: Yeah, i would agree, 5 seems to give much more diverse picks. I think its a good way to go about getting a top 10 list.

Antipaction is just another word for popularity. You don't anticipate what you don't like. And on a bigger level the stuff a lot of people like is called popular. It's as simple as that. Dark Souls is popular. A lot of console people play it. Just have a look at how many copies it sold. Same is true for Zelda. So please don't tell me that these games were not popular...

What you seem to equate on the other hand is popularity and quality. But in my experience, that's sadly only rarely the case. A lot of games that are extremely popular are just mediocre at best (just have a look at Fallout 4...).

And yes, it's surely possible to think that a game on another platform is good. That doesn't mean you necessarily have to root for it. I root for games I want to play on a system I own and I want to play it on. And so does basically everybody else. I'm of course PC-centric because it's my platform of choice that offers me great games in an environment I like. For others it's the PS4 or maybe multiple system. Still, everybody has their preferences and their most anticipated games are built upon that preferences. And the widespread opinion that nobody owned a WiiU or played Nintendo games is a fallacy and you know it (we usually just say that for fun). Reality is that millions of people play and love these games - and of course they root for them.

And why do you think that these game on the list offend me? I just don't agree with them being on the list. I would have chosen different ones and I'm sad that obviously the vast majority of people has a different opinion (which results in less games for me being made). Simple. ;)

I honestly don't know what to anticipate this year. I know nothing about Zelda or Mass Effect or many of the games on the list, because we simply haven't seen much. Otherwise, yeah I agree with the list, all of these games are up there for me, Uncharted wouldn't be #1 for me personally. Hope none of these games flop though (especially Zelda, which I'm unsure about).

Absolutely mind boggling, unfathomable #1, but the rest of the list isn't too bad.

@LordCrash88: I'm not equating quality and popularity- the three most popular games of this year were Battlefront, Black Ops 3, and Fallout 4, and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. What I am saying is that it is possible for games on other platforms other than the one of your choice, to be good- which you agree with- and that while I understand the desire for a list that is more in line with one's personal tastes, outright coming out and saying high pedigree games like Dark Souls, Zelda, or Persona (let's remove Uncharted from the discussion, since it's the anthithesis, generally, of the kind of games PC gamers usually like- Zelda, Dark Souls, and Persona are more up PC gamers' alley) don't belong on any such list at all is what really rubs me off wrong- I can't play Squadron 42 right now, but will I come out and say that it being on an anticipated games list (presuming it is on one) is incorrect? Of course not. I don't own an Xbox One, will I get mad if Quantum Break or Scalebound make it on an anticipated games list? Of course not.

My issue is not with your preferences and opinions- those I respect. It's with this idea that only your opinion is correct. That I cannot get behind.

But yeah, ultimately it's a difference of opinion. I understand where you are coming from.

That's not at all the idea behind it. But I'm indeed sad that apparently the vast majority of people likes stuff I personally don't like that much or have little interest in. Not because I don't grant them the fun but because it means that less and less games for my taste will be made and that more and more games will be changed to a direction I don't personally like. Popularity contests (like this most anticipated vote) are always fun if you're on the "winning side" and you find yourself right in the spot. It's a completely different thing if your personal taste is hardly covered. That's just natural and that's why I don't like that list too much, sorry.

Yeah, it seems we're not the only ones questioning UC4 at #1 lol. Guess that's just how it went down in the votes.

And yeah, agreed on the rest, and on most top 10 lists I could see all that factoring in. I was only surprised in this instance seeing as SW usually (miraculously) pulls through. SW rankings usually serve to revitalize my faith in this board.

Anyways, could be way the **** worse, it's not a bad list.

Actually, out of all console-only games I'm most interested in Uncharted 4. So I can get to terms with it being on #1. Too bad it won't ever end up on PC.

All of those games look great and have no problem with selections. I just think that number 1 should've been something like Deus Ex. That's all.