6 Games To Keep An Eye On In 2015

I have already gone into detail about how 2014 was a generally crappy year for video games in my first blog post. Thus for this one I decided to take a look at what 2015 has in store for games. This is not meant to build up any hype for these games, I merely think that these games look interesting to me. It is not out of the realm of possibility that these games will suck when they are released. Also keep in mind that my taste in games is different than yours. If I don't put a certain game on my list it likely because it doesn't personally appeal to me as much as it does to you. Another thing is that I want to do put the spotlight on games that for the most part haven't had any real attention so you won't be seeing any big budget or high profile indie games like Batman Arkham Knight and No Man's Sky on this list. Now that I got the formalities out of the way let's get on with it.

SOMA
The next game from Frictional Games, the creators of Amnesia The Dark Descent, SOMA is looking to be quite a follow up to the game the revived the survival horror genre. It is a science fiction narrative driven horror experience set in an underwater research facility dealing with themes of consciousness and existentialism. Early previews have shown people within the game world getting trapped in mechanical bodies and mechanical horrors hunting the player in the flooded parts of the facility. SOMA is looking good and is due out sometime this year on PC and PS4.

Severed
A dungeon crawler role playing game that is exclusive to the PlayStation Vita and made by Drinkbox Studios, the ones behind the fantastic Guacamelee. Severed tells the story of a girl that has had everything taken from her, including one of her hands. She now must travel across a surreal and dangerous world to get revenge. So far, Severed looks likes exactly what the PlayStation Vita needs right now. A new, unique game made by a talented studio making use of everything the Vita has to offer. Definitely look out for this one when it comes out later this year.

Ori and The Blind Forest
The debut title of Moon Studios. This platform adventure game is looking to combine the gameplay Metroid and Castlevania with the somber artistry found in Team ICO games. You play as a guardian spirit named Ori that finds his simple life shattered by an unknown evil. Very little is known about this game outside a few details and quite frankly that a good thing. The less you know about something the more it can surprise you. Let's just hope my gut feeling is right about this game. Ori and The Blind Forest is coming out on PC and Xbox One on March 11th.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Personally I feel that people hate on The Chinese Room a little too much. Yeah Dear Esther was really pretentious and Amnesia A Machine for Pigs had some pretty big faults, but I like The Chinese Room's aesthetics and their music, composed by Jessica Curry, is some of the best I have ever heard in a video game. If only they could take their strengths and iron out their weaknesses and craft an experience that took advantage of their somber, minimalist style. Well that is what Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is seeking to do. Not much is known about this game outside the fact it is open world
and set during the last hour of the world. Let's hope that The Chinese Room can finally deliver on their potential. This game will be exclusively for PS4.

Volume
From Mike Bithell,the man who made the minimal, but brilliant Thomas Was Alone, is about ready to release his new game. A science fiction take on the classic tale of Robin Hood, players take the role of Rob Locksley,a petty thief that somehow comes into the possession of device called "Volume" which contains simulations of how the corrupt Gisborne Industries took over England. Using the data and a helper program within the device, Locksley reenacts the crimes in an effort to show the people what happened in hopes of sparking a revolution. The game is shaping up to be a fantastic experience and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Volume is due out this year of PC, PS4, and PSVita.

The Witness
Another game made by an auteur designer. Jonathan Blow was the first put in the limelight with his time bending platformer Braid which deconstructed the traditional hero save princess from monster cliche that dominates gaming. His next game is an open world first person puzzler set on an abandoned island as a sort of spiritual successor to Myst. However, Jonathan's goal with this project is to communicate the puzzles solutions in ways that can only be done by a video game. It's a ambitious goal to say the least, but only time will tell if it pays off. The Witness is coming out sometime this year on PC, iOS, and PS4.

Those are the games I wanted to talk about. There are a lot of great games out there that fall under the radar because of big budget behemoths hogging all the attention. I hope I have brought to light games that fall outside the mainstream to at least a few people. Because games like these really need to be covered more.