Video Game Releases: Six PS4 Titles I’m Currently Looking Forward To, If They’re Good

Some video game releases planned over the next couple of years have caught my attention and landed slots on my Amazon wish list. They might not be what everybody else likes, though a few have a loyal fan base.

The first of these upcoming releases is due this month. Saints Row 4: Re-Elected and its Gat Out of Hell standalone spin-off could easily be part of my PlayStation 4 collection if they’re done right. Being sold as a bundle will help, but ultimately Deep Silver will need to release them with most of the glitches fixed and the graphics upgraded. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases were both full of glitches which turned off the fans who hadn’t already fallen out of love with the franchise after it started poking fun at itself.

Personally, I think Saints Row 4 was the perfect blend of parody and open-world mayhem, with a deeply rewarding unlock system. I won’t mind playing it again and again on a new console as long as the glitches are minimal on release.

The second of the video game releases I’m looking forward to is from a series that had to be rebooted to come back to relevance. Mortal Kombat X will supposedly take everything we loved about MK 9, keep the core gameplay, and give us a fresh new batch of fighters, including the adult daughter of Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage. This gives us a perfect indication that the series is ready to try something completely new once again.

Mortal Kombat has let us down before though, like when it crossed over into the DC universe, so the Mortal Kombat X release date of April 14 might still disappoint.

From the trailers, it appears that NetherRealm Studios have learned what to do, and what not to do.

The next one of the video game releases I’m looking forward to is a general fan favorite, based on the most successful superhero video game franchises in history. Batman: Arkham Knight promises to deliver more of the fantastic combat and stealth mechanics that made Asylum and City such replayable masterpieces. The addition of the PS4 exclusive Scarecrow mission only makes the deal even sweeter.

Hopefully, Arkham Knight can restore the faith that Origins lost.

Dead Island 2 is one I’m really hoping gets done right. I loved the first game for its realistic depiction of a possible zombie apocalypse and its rewarding weapon crafting system. It required different tactics for different types of zombies, which Riptide basically destroyed when it went too gun-crazy. I will always prefer walking up with an electric katana and watching them dance around while I get some free hits in.

I didn’t even mind the swarms of infected that populated a section of the city. It added some challenge that only the most hardcore could survive. Once again, I hope Deep Silver brings back the things I loved about the first game.

The fifth of the video game releases I’m having a hard time waiting for is Street Fighter 5. I loved the original SF IV when it successfully gave us the classic gameplay in a 3D environment that didn’t remind us of Street Fighter EX. SF EX is an example of how SF 5 could be done very wrong.

The gameplay footage looks promising though.

Number six is a game that is currently in its Beta form, but it’s just different enough that I won’t mind supporting the indie racer. The game I’m talking about is Distance, the spiritual sequel to Refract Studios’ Nitronic Rush, a title which defies the rules of racing by giving you insane obstacles and gravity shifts as you try to race from point A to point B with your car intact and “survive the distance.”

Which video game releases are you looking forward to in the next year or two?

[Image via VG247]